The Nightmare Before Christmas
by ChocolateChip13
Summary: This is my same story. Somehow, my story got deleted from my account so I have to reupload it. But it is The Nightmare Before Christmas. It was supposed to be a simple trip to the mall with the Hardys. But when tragedy strikes, the Hardys may have to put their vacation aside and solve this case before it takes the life of one of their loved ones.
1. Chapter 1

It was a few weeks before Christmas and the Hardys were doing their annual Christmas shopping. Frank and Nancy Hardy, who had been married for almost 5 years and their adorable 3-year-old daughter, Chloe Hardy, were meeting Frank's brother Joe and his wife Vanessa for lunch at the mall.

"I just love this atmosphere. The giggling children, the shy couples, and the smell of Christmas cookies. Don't you?" said Nancy while glancing at Frank.

"Yeah, it gives everyone a chance to just be free of responsibilities for awhile," sighed Frank while simultaneously glancing down at the three year old holding his hand and staring at all of the decorations, completely awed.

The happy trio was on their way to the food court where Joe and Vanessa were already waiting for them. In fact, Frank could see Joe's blonde hair from where he was standing. As they were making their way there, Chloe's wandering eyes fell on a stuffed unicorn that was sitting in the window of a toy store. Her eyes lit up.

"Daddy," she said excitedly while tugging on Frank's hand, "can I get the pwetty unicorn?" pointing to the toy in the window.

Frank and Nancy looked at each other. Frank looked ready to give in to the puppy eyes that Chloe had mastered while Nancy was clearly against the idea of getting another toy for her, mainly due to the fact that their shopping bags mainly consisted of similar toys.

Nancy looked down at the little girl and gently said "Sweetie you already have so many toys and you will probably get a lot more from Santa Claus."

"But mommy, I really want the unicorn. It's pink and purple and sparkly and we can be best friends," Chloe whined.

Nancy was about to say something but Frank beat her to it.

"Alright sunshine, let's go get that unicorn." Frank said, smiling at the cuteness of his little girl.

Nancy rolled her eyes but was smiling because she knew that Frank didn't have the heart to say no to his little princess. Chloe was after all a daddy's girl.

They decided that Frank and Chloe would go into the store to get the unicorn and Nancy would go on over to the food court and meet up with Joe and Vanessa.

As Frank walked into the store, hand in hand with Chloe, he noticed that there were only two other customers and the salesman in the store. This somewhat surprised him but he figured it was only because of the fact that this was a much smaller store in comparison to the others.

Chloe picked out the unicorn she wanted and ran back to Frank jumping up and down, holding the unicorn to her chest.

"Look daddy, isn't is pwetty?"

Frank just smiled at her cuteness and nodded in agreement.

"I'm gonna name her Rainbow!" Chloe exclaimed jumping with excitement.

"That's great Sunshine. Make sure you don't drop it." Frank called as Chloe bounded around the rest of the store while talking to her unicorn.

Everything seemed perfect at that moment. But perfection never seems to last for the Hardys.

Just as Frank was about to hand the money to the salesman, he felt the cold barrel of a gun on his neck.

"Get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head," said a menacing voice.

As Frank kneeled down, he realized that the two customers in the store were actually the ones holding the guns. One was holding him and the salesman at gunpoint and the other one dragged a frightened Chloe over to Frank.

"Daddy!" Chloe cried

"Don't worry baby, daddy's here," Frank said as Chloe landed next to him.

"Get that kid to shut up or I'll do it myself," one of the masked men said.

The one to hold Frank at gunpoint crouched down to Chloe's height and tried to grab the unicorn that she was clutching to her chest.

"No, it's mine!" Chloe cried indignantly, biting the gunman's hand.

"Stupid brat." The masked man slapped Chloe away and she fell back. This made Frank seethe with rage.

No one hurt his baby girl. Before he could clearly think, he had tackled the man and was holding him down by the neck and threw blind punches into his face.

What he did forget however was that his partner was armed and suddenly, Frank felt a sharp pain in his back, shoulder, and side. After that, all he heard was Chloe's bloodcurdling scream.

"DADDY!"

The two gunmen ran off as soon as the first one got out from under Frank.

Chloe ran over to Frank and kept talking to him, trying to make him get up. As a three-year-old, the sound of gunfire and the sight of blood truly terrified her.

"Go…t-to…m-m-mommy, hu-hurry." Frank gasped out in pain.

Chloe ran to the food court as fast as she could on her tiny legs. She caught sight of her Uncle Joe at the table and ran over to him.

"Uncle Joe Uncle Joe, daddy hurt daddy hurt," sobbed Chloe.

"Wait what do you mean sweetie?"

By then, Nancy and Vanessa also joined them.

"Chloe what's wrong? Where is daddy?" Nancy asked frantically.

Chloe was sobbing her eyes out so it was hard for her to form coherent words so she simply grabbed her mommy's hand and dragged her to the store. Joe and Vanessa were fast on their heels.

When they entered the store, Nancy's heart dropped.

On the floor was a pale and unconscious Frank, covered in blood with a large pool of blood surrounding him.

"FRANK!"

She quickly knelt down next to him and checked for a pulse. She found one but it was very faint.

"Frank wake up please Frank. Stay with me ok? Please stay with me." Nancy sobbed. She was dimly aware of Joe kneeling down next to her and was using his jacket to try and stop the blood flow. He yelled at Vanessa to take Chloe away and call an ambulance.

"Don't worry Frank, you'll be ok. Help is coming. Just please stay with me." Nancy begged.

Distantly, Nancy could here the sirens of the ambulance approaching. She just continued to hold Frank's hand and prayed for him to be okay.


	2. Chapter 2

The paramedics and police arrived so quickly it made Nancy's head spin. The medics quickly pushed past her and Joe and began stabilizing Frank.

"We lost his pulse, begin CPR" one paramedic, Sarah, as her uniform stated, yelled.

Nancy let out a fearful sob and leaned into Joe, watching as the paramedics tried to revive Frank. Joe quietly put his arm around her shoulder and silently comforted her, rapid tears streaming down his face as he prayed for his older brother to be okay.

He turned to Vanessa but he saw her right outside the store trying to calm down the distraught three year old who wanted to see her daddy. He was thankful that Chloe did not have to see her brave and strong father in such a vulnerable position.

"We've got his pulse back. Let's move him before we lose it again" Sarah stated.

Nancy went weak with relief and knelt down next to Frank's unconscious body. She held his hand as he was strapped down to a stretcher and moved into the awaiting ambulance.

"I'm sorry ma'am, there is no room in the ambulance." One paramedic told her.

Nancy was about to say something but Joe quickly pulled her back and said that they can follow the ambulance. She agreed and she, Joe, Vanessa, and Chloe made their way to the car.

During the drive there, Chloe sobbed into her mommy's arms, begging for her daddy to come back. This brought tears to Nancy's eyes as she held her trembling daughter tight in her arms and slowly rocked her back and forth, whispering comforting words in her ear.

The group quickly got to the hospital and met up with Fenton and Laura Hardy. Vanessa had called them as soon as they got in the car and told them about what had happened.

"Have you heard anything?" Nancy asked shakily, fearing the worst.

"They took him into surgery as soon as they got here. They haven't told us anything since." Fenton gently told her as Laura pulled the trembling woman into her arms.

"Guys, how did this happen?" Fenton inquired.

"We don't know dad. According to Nancy, Chloe and Frank went into a toy store to get a unicorn for her while Nancy joined us at the food court. Nancy and Vanessa went to the ladies room and I was sitting at the table waiting for everyone to come back. The next thing I knew, Chloe came running over, bawling her eyes out, and was saying that Frank was hurt. The girls came back just in time to hear that and we all ran to the store and saw Frank lying on the floor, unconscious and covered in blood. We tried to stop the blood flow and soon after, the paramedics arrived. " Joe explained. He soothingly rubbed Chloe's back, who had fallen asleep on Joe's shoulder, exhausted from crying.

After listening to Joe's story and knowing that only Chloe could tell them what really happened, the family sat down in the waiting room and waited for the doctors to come tell them some news. No one wanted to interrogate a traumatized three year old about how her father was shot three times.

Several hours later….

It had been over 5 hours. Yet, there was still no news on Frank. Chloe was fast asleep on Nancy's lap, clutching her new unicorn tight to her chest. Fenton and Joe had gone down to the cafeteria a few minutes ago to get some food for everyone, Vanessa had gone to the ladies room, and Laura was sitting next to her, offering silent comfort.

Nancy had tried falling asleep many times but every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was Frank covered in blood, his body cold and dead to the world.

She was taken out of her thoughts by Joe and Fenton approaching, a steaming cup of coffee in Joe's hand waiting for her.

Just as she was about to take a sip, Chloe stirred in her lap. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and sat down next to Nancy, hugging her unicorn next to her.

"Is daddy ok?" Chloe asked, her big brown eyes wide with fear and worry.

"We don't know yet sweetie, but I'm sure he will be ok." Nancy said, trying to convince herself as well as her daughter.

Fenton sat down next to Chloe while Joe crouched down in front of her.

"Hey kiddo, is that your new unicorn?" Fenton asked quietly.

Chloe simply nodded.

"What's her name?"

"Rainbow" came the sullen reply.

"Alright Chloe, I need you to look at me. Can you tell me what happened in the store when you and daddy went to get the unicorn?" Fenton gently asked.

Chloe took a shaky breath and tightened her grip on her unicorn before beginning her story.

"Well, me and mommy and daddy were walking and I saw Rainbow in the window. I really really wanted it so I asked mommy and daddy if I could get it. Mommy said that I already have a lot of toys and that Santa would bring me more but I still wanted it. So then daddy said that we could get it. Mommy said that she will go to Uncle Joe and Aunt Nessa and wait while me and daddy went and got my unicorn. We went into the store and I went to pick up Rainbow. I grabbed it and came back to show daddy. He smiled and I went to go look around some more and see Rainbow's other friends. Then when I turned around, I saw daddy sitting on his knees and his hands were on his head. Then a big mean man came and grabbed my arm and dragged me towards daddy. I was really scared but then daddy didn't look scared so I couldn't be scared either. The big mean man tried to grab my unicorn. But it was my unicorn and he didn't ask nicely so I bit his hand and he pushed me down. When I got up, I saw daddy hitting the mean man. Daddy is really big and strong and he's my hero. Then after that, big mean man number two got a black gun and it made three "poof" noises. Then daddy fell down and the mean men ran away. I-I tired to get daddy to get up b-but he-he said to g-go to mom-my. So I ran to mommy and came back with her. But then daddy was asleep. Mommy and Uncle Joe tried to wake him up but he kept sleeping. Will daddy wake up?" Chloe asked tearfully, ending her story with heart aching sobs.

"Of course he will pumpkin." Laura stated, her voice cracking slightly.

Fenton was about to ask another question but was interrupted by the arrival of the doctor.

"Who is here for Frank Hardy?" the doctor asked.

"We are. I'm his father Fenton, this is his mother Laura, his wife Nancy, brother Joe, sister-in-law Vanessa, and daughter Chloe."

"And this is Rainbow!" Chloe happily said, gesturing to her unicorn.

The group quietly chuckled, happy that the little girl could easily be sidetracked so that her worry for Frank would decrease.

"How is Frank?" Nancy asked fearing for her husband's safety.

The doctor, Doctor Jones as his coat said, took a deep breath before beginning.

"I'm not going to lie Mrs. Hardy. It's not very good. Frank was shot three times as you probably already saw. He was hit in his back, his side, and his shoulder. The bullet in his shoulder grazed his carotid artery. The one in his back punctured his lung, and the one in his side heavily damaged his right kidney. All three of these wounds caused a lot of blood loss. We nearly lost him on the operating table several times. His heart stopped twice but we were able to bring him back. We managed to remove the bullets, but we could not save his kidney."

"You removed his kidney?" Nancy asked in disbelief.

"Don't worry, Frank is a healthy young man and he can live comfortably with one kidney. We managed to fix his punctured lung but he still has some difficulty breathing so we have him on oxygen just as a precaution."

The doctor waited for everyone to process this information. This was the part of the job he absolutely hated. He hated how he had to tell family members that their loved one may not survive.

"Will he be okay?" Joe asked tentatively.

"Due to the severe blood loss and the damage to his organs, nothing is predictable at the moment. He is currently unconscious and if he does not show signs of waking up in a few days, then he may slip into a coma. Frank is still in critical condition so I must advise you to prepare yourselves for the worst."

The doctor saw the horror and aguish in the eyes of the Hardy family. He hated how he was the cause of it. He quietly excused himself and told the family that a nurse would come get them when they could see Frank.

After the doctor left, Nancy couldn't take it anymore. She collapsed into Vanessa's arms sobbing. Vanessa whispered comforting words in her ear as she tried to calm the distraught woman and tried to keep tears from falling out of her own eyes. As she looked around, she saw that Laura and Fenton were hugging and crying into each other's shoulders. Joe was holding Chloe and had tears streaming down his face as he tried to calm the little girl down.

"It's n-not fair. W-why can't we enjoy a happy life together?" Nancy sobbed.

"I know Nan. But please calm down. You know Frank's a fighter. He will make it and he will be ok." Vanessa said confidently.

The family stayed like that for a while, comforting each other. Soon a nurse came and told them that they could see Frank in the ICU but only 1 visitor at a time. They decided that Nancy should be the one to see Frank first. Vanessa and Laura took Chloe down to the gift shop to get her mind off of things. They did not want her seeing Frank in such a delicate position.

Nancy walked down the hall towards the ICU and stopped in front of Frank's room. Her hand shook as she reached for the doorknob and slowly opened the door.

Somewhere miles away from Bayport and the Hardys…

"Did you get it?" asked a man in a black suit, shadows and a dim light hiding his face.

"No, Mike here shot the Hardy boy before we could get our hands on it," said one of the men in ski masks.

The man in the suit stared down at Mike. His dark eyes so fierce, it seemed like they were piercing his soul.

"Well, Mike would you like to tell me why you shot Frank Hardy?"

"It was an accident. He attacked Ben and I shot without thinking." Mike said, cowering from the man in fear.

"He was a vital part of the plan and now its ruined."

"I'm sorry! I will fix this just please give me another chance." Mike begged.

"Not yet. We have to make sure he will wake up. We cannot continue without Frank Hardy alive and well.

Back at the hospital…

Fenton and Joe sat next to each other each in their own thoughts.

"Joe," Fenton began, "Chloe said that those men tried to take her unicorn. What would they want with a stuffed animal?"

"I don't know Dad. That's got me stumped too."

As father and son continued to think, they did not notice a man hiding in the shadows away from sight, listening to every word they said, a sinister smile creeping upon the man's hidden face.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hi guys! Thanks so much for those awesome reviews. I will try to update at much as possible. Please continue to review and let me know how you like it.**

Nancy slowly turned the doorknob and entered Frank's room. As soon as she entered, her heart nearly stopped. Frank was hooked up to several machines; he had two IV's in each hand, and had an oxygen mask on his face. His face was so pale he almost matched the color of the sheets. Nancy quietly sat down next to him and grasped his hand is both of hers.

"Frank, can you hear me?" Nancy asked quietly.

"Please wake up for me Frank. The doctors are saying that you might not make it but I know you will. You're a fighter Frank. Please wake up. I need you, Chloe needs you. She is heartbroken without you. You need to wake up, give her a big hug, and read her favorite bedtime story to her. Please wake up Frank. I can't live without you." By the end of Nancy's request, she had tears streaming down her face so rapidly it was blurring her vision. Nancy stopped crying when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw the sad face of Joe. She couldn't hold it in any longer and began sobbing into Joe's shirt. Joe comfortingly rubbed her back and tried calming her down.

"He has to be ok." Nancy cried.

"He will be Nan. Frank won't leave you or Chloe or any of us. He knows that we all need him. You'll see. He will be alright." Joe said soothingly.

While Joe and Nancy were visiting Frank, Fenton decided to check on Laura, Vanessa, and Chloe. Ever since Chloe told them about what had happened, he couldn't help but think that something was just not right. He caught sight of them in the cafeteria. As he approached them, he couldn't help but smile. Chloe was munching happily on a Snickers bar and was trying to feed some to her unicorn. He still found it odd how toddlers loved talking to inanimate objects. He shook his head, smiling. Vanessa and Laura were quietly talking over some coffee and as Fenton approached, Laura looked up and smiled at him. He caught sight of the devastated look in her eyes and truly saw how worried she was about her eldest child. At that moment, Fenton realized that Laura was an extremely strong woman. She was always hiding her fears behind an impassive face and tried to remain strong for her family, never voicing her true concerns. He really was lucky to have such a great woman in his life.

"Hey Fenton. Is everything alright?" Laura asked.

"Yes, Nancy and Joe are with Frank so I decided to come make sure you three were doing ok."

"Look Grandpa, Rainbow loves chocolate!" Chloe exclaimed happily.

"That's great kiddo." Fenton said smiling. "Vanessa, would you mind keeping in eye on Chloe while Laura and I talk for a minute?"

"Sure thing."

Fenton pulled Laura to the side and quietly talked to her, making sure that Chloe could not here.

"Laura, I think that we should take Chloe home. I feel like seeing Frank in the condition he is in will scare her even more. Vanessa can stay here with Nancy and Joe. They won't want to leave Frank right now."

"That's a good idea. Let's go see how Frank is first and then we can leave." Laura said, desperate to see that her baby was okay.

As Fenton, Laura, Vanessa, and Chloe made their way back to the waiting room, Chloe's eyes began to droop. The day was finally catching up to her. Fenton noticed how she was dragging her feet while she held his hand and he pulled her up into his arms. Chloe adjusted herself in her grandfather's arms and fell asleep on his shoulder.

They met up with Nancy and Joe as they entered the waiting room. Nancy's red and swollen eyes fell upon Chloe's sleeping form and she smiled lightly. She gently pulled her from Fenton's arms and held her while she slept so that Fenton and Laura could visit Frank.

Joe noticed Rainbow hanging limply from Chloe's hand and gently pulled it out of her grasp, careful not to wake her up. He began checking it all around.

"What's wrong Joe?" Nancy asked

"Something just doesn't feel right about this unicorn. Dad and I were talking and we found it weird that the robbers wanted Chloe's unicorn. Maybe they hid something in it."

By now, both Nancy and Vanessa were staring at the unicorn intently while Joe continued searching for some sort of opening or some type of clue.

Joe continued searching but stopped when he heard his parents approaching. He looked up and saw that his dad had a broken look in his eyes while his mother had tears streaming down her face. Quietly getting up, he wrapped his arms around his mom and held her as she cried.

Unknown Location…

Mike, Ben, and the man in the suit, Boss, were sitting around a table talking.

"We need that toy." Mike explained.

"How are we supposed to get it? It is being held by a little girl who bit my hand and whose dad bruised my eye." Ben snarled.

"Quiet, both of you." Boss said angrily.

"I will get it. I can sneak in discreetly and take it while no one is watching. The Hardys are probably too worried about Frank Hardy to pay any attention anyways."

"But what about the plan? You said we need Frank Hardy for the plan."

"We do. That's why we will force him to wake up, whether he is ready to or not."

Ben and Mike looked at "Boss" like he was utterly insane.

Boss went to a cupboard and pulled out a small vile with a blue liquid in it.

"This is how we will wake him up." Boss said, swirling the liquid in the vile.

"What is that?" Mike asked.

"This, dearest Mikey, is something I invented called Formula X. It can wake up any unconscious person in a matter of minutes, but not without a scare first. I had some of the world's best scientists and chemists working on this for almost 3 years. This is how I will extract my revenge." Boss said, laughing manically.

"I will inject this into Frank Hardy's bloodstream and soon he will wake up. Everything will seem perfect for a bit. But then, Frank Hardy's world will come crashing down." Boss smiled crazily, happy that he will get his revenge.

Back at the hospital…

Fenton, Laura, and Chloe had gone home and Nancy, Joe, and Vanessa remained at the hospital. Joe was still pondering about how the attack on Frank and Chloe's unicorn was connected. There was something that just was not fitting together.

Nancy was sitting with Frank, holding his hand and running her other hand through his dark brown locks, comforting him in his favorite way.

 _Flashback…_

 _It had been a long day for Frank. He and Joe had been trying to solve a kidnapping mystery for almost a month and it was starting to take a toll on him. He had spent a lot of time trying to track him down via the Internet and was finally getting a breakthrough. Joe was having a lunch date with Vanessa and his father was out of town on business. He decided to pursue this lead himself. He grabbed his jacket and made his way out to his car. He followed the directions on his phone that ended up leading him to an abandoned warehouse. He quietly made his way out of the car and went around towards the back entrance. He quietly opened the door and made his way inside. After checking out the warehouse downstairs, he made his way up. He checked one room at a time and finally made it to a room at the end of the hallway. He gently pushed it open and entered the room. The next thing he knew he was met with three big guys with huge fists. Frank quickly jumped into action and for a while, the four threw punch after punch towards each other. One of the guys through a hard punch to his ribs and Frank felt a crack. His vision swam and this gave the other two guys a chance to pounce on him. Thinking quickly, he pulled out his knife from where it was strapped to his ankle and stabbed one guy in the leg with it. The other two rushed to their fallen comrade and tried to help him. Frank used this distraction to escape out the window and ended up rolling down a large hill. When he came to a stop, his whole body was pulsing with pain. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed number one, speed-dialing Joe._

" _Hey Frank."_

" _Joe, help…" Frank gasped out before everything went black._

 _Some hours later…_

 _Frank slowly opened his eyes and was greeted with a bright light and pain. He groaned._

" _Frank! You're awake!" he heard a voice call out._

 _As the grogginess started to fade he could make out two shapes leaning over him. As his vision cleared he saw it was his brother Joe and his wife Nancy._

" _Oh thank god you're ok." Nancy cried with relief._

" _Yeah bro, you had us scared for a bit there." Joe pitched in._

" _How…" Frank started._

"… _did I find you? I just tracked the GPS on your phone and found you at the bottom of a hill completely knocked out. Why would you try and follow that lead on your own? You know how dangerous these people are. You were lucky they weren't armed." Joe said, angry with Frank for doing something so foolish._

" _Do you know what those guys did to you Frank? You have three broken ribs, a concussion, and a fractured knee!" Nancy cried._

" _Is that why I am in pain?" Frank asked, still somewhat woozy on pain medication._

 _Joe and Nancy looked at each other for a second before bursting out laughing._

" _Go to sleep Frank, you need it." Nancy said as she sat down next to him and started running her hand through his hair. She was rewarded with a small smile as he slowly fell back asleep._

 _End of Flashback…_

Nancy remembered how she reacted when Joe called her, telling her that Frank was in the hospital. She rushed over and when she saw Frank, covered in cuts in bruises with some broken bones, but otherwise unharmed she felt relieved. She wished that it were the same scenario here too. Why couldn't Frank just have a couple of broken bones instead of possibly fatal bullet wounds?

She continued running her hand through Frank's hair in hopes that maybe he will wake up to her touch. She and Frank had been through so much together, that she just could not live without him.

 **AN: Just to be clear, I am trying to include various points of view in this story. I want to include Frank/Nancy, Joe/Vanessa, and Fenton/Laura moments. Chloe will also have her adorable moments every now and then as well! :) Once again, please let me know how you like it and review, review, and review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Mike, Ben and Boss were creating their next strategy. However, Ben and Mike constantly wondered what prompted their boss to go after Frank Hardy.

Boss also knew that his two henchmen wanted to know why he wanted Frank Hardy to pay. Maybe it was time to tell them why. Maybe then, they will understand.

"Boys, I think you need to know why I want Frank Hardy to suffer."

Mike and Ben were both stunned, but they listened attentively.

"This happened three years ago. I had a family. My beautiful wife Beverly, my six-year-old son Bobby, and my three-year-old little princess Nicole." A single tear slipped out of the corner of his eye.

"I had a wonderful life. I was a very successful businessman with a wonderful family. But then, one day my life turned upside down and it stayed that way. I suffered a huge loss in business and nearly lost everything. But I managed to pull through it. During the course of my financial recovery, I was pulled into various illegal things. It was the only thing that kept my family going. I didn't tell them what I was doing because I knew that they wouldn't approve of it. But I had no choice. Things were working out well. My family did not know about what I was doing and neither did the police. But then one day, I stumbled upon something I wasn't supposed to. The people that were giving me orders ordered me to kidnap a young girl for ransom from a rich philanthropist. They threatened to kill my family if I didn't cooperate. I kidnapped the girl and was holding her hostage in an abandoned warehouse. It had been two days and my superiors were coming in to get the girl. But the next thing I knew, the warehouse door was being broken down and Frank Hardy barged in with a handful of cops. His brother came around the back but that didn't matter. Frank Hardy pointed his gun at me and told me to stand down. I raised my hands and got down on my knees. Two cops arrested me and Frank Hardy brought the girl out of the basement where she was being held and took her outside. I tried to tell him that my family would die if he takes the girl. But he didn't listen. He took the girl and I was arrested. My family was killed; I was sent pictures of their dead bodies. But I managed to escape jail, and I created a new identity for myself. Before, I was James Cortez, a successful businessman; now I am Andrew Chase, a wealthy man with a goal, avenge the death of his family by making Frank Hardy suffer. I won't harm his family because they do not deserve my wrath. But I will make Frank Hardy beg for death after I am done with him." Andrew finished, his eyes gleaming with rage and determination.

Back at the Hardy house…

Fenton, Laura, and Chloe, who was asleep on Fenton's shoulder finally made it home. Laura quietly unlocked the front door and Fenton slipped in after her, taking Chloe into their room and he gently tucked her into bed. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of the adorable little girl who was sleeping with her thumb in her mouth. He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead before turning off the light and joining Laura in the kitchen.

Laura was quietly making coffee in the kitchen, deep in thought. All she could see was her baby unconscious and in pain. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Frank, his eyes closed and his body cold and dead. She was shaken out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Fenton standing there, his eyes also watery, tears threatening to fall. This did it. Laura's brave face façade crumbled and she let out heart wrenching sobs into Fenton's shirt. Fenton held her tightly in his arms and let his own tears fall as well. Both parents were silently praying for the angels to watch over their son and bring him back to his family.

At the hospital…

Nancy was sitting outside of Frank's room with Joe and Vanessa waiting for the doctor to finish checking on Frank. The doctor stepped out and the trio stood up.

"Is everything alright Doctor?" Joe asked.

"I'm afraid Frank is still in the same condition. There hasn't been much improvement yet. However, if he does show signs of waking up in the next couple of days, there is a high chance that he will fully recover." The doctor stated, trying to give the distraught family some hope.

The three Hardys were upset when they learned that Frank's condition had not improved but they still tried to keep their hope up.

"Nan, why don't you sit with Frank for a bit?" Joe asked.

"Actually, I was going to call Laura and see how Chloe was doing. You go on ahead. I'll catch up in a minute." Nancy walked off before Joe could say anything else.

Vanessa, however, saw right through to Nancy and silently went after her. She saw Nancy slip into the ladies room and followed. As she was about to open the door, she heard loud sobs coming from inside. Trying to hide her own tears, she went inside and quickly pulled Nancy into her arms.

"P-Please Van, tell me h-he's going to be alright."

"Shh shh. He will be fine. You know that Frank will never leave you. You'll see, Frank will be alright and then we can all spend Christmas and New Year's together like we always have." Vanessa said, desperately trying to keep her voice from cracking. Her family was broken and suffering. She also knew that if Frank didn't make it, then the Hardy family will never be the same; especially Nancy, Chloe, and Joe.

In Frank's room…

Joe slowly entered Frank's room and made his way to his brother's side. He sat down in the chair next to the bed and grasped Frank's hand.

"Hey bro, you there? Listen, you have to wake up ok. We all need you to wake up. Nancy and Chloe are a wreck without you and the rest of us aren't doing much better. I know that you're still in there. Please Frank, wake up. Remember what we promised Chloe? We promised her that we would let her say hi to Santa Claus on Christmas Eve when he brings her presents remember? You are going to sneak her downstairs towards the Christmas tree and I am going to dress up as Santa and eat the cookies and milk. I need you there with me to we can keep our promise to Chloe. Please bro, I need you. I need you so much." Joe begged, tears leaking out of his eye as he finished speaking.

Frank did not move an inch.

But this did not discourage Joe. He continued quietly speaking to him and continued to hold his hand until he heard the door open. He turned and saw Nancy and Vanessa standing there, both with red-rimmed eyes. He gave them a half-hearted smile and stood up. He walked over to Nancy and gave her a tight hug.

"He'll come back to us," Joe whispered in Nancy's ear.

Joe and Vanessa left the room, giving Nancy some alone time with Frank.

Once Joe and Vanessa were away from Nancy and Frank, Vanessa pulled Joe aside.

"Joe, don't you think that Nancy is acting a bit different? I mean I know it's normal to be this worried but I've always seen Nancy be so strong for everyone else. I just can't help but think that maybe there is something else she is hiding from us. We all know that Frank has been in tough situations before. But never has Nancy been this distraught."

Joe thought about this for a minute. Then he shook his head.

"Van, you're just being paranoid. Frank's literally in between life and death. Of course it's going to affect Nancy much more than usual."

"Maybe you're right." Vanessa conceded, though she was still a bit suspicious.

Joe just gave her a small smile and led her out towards the waiting room.

Unknown Location…

Andrew Chase had left the room after he told his story to Mike and Ben. But what he did not tell them was that his plan was in fact, much more sinister than he explained.

An evil grin came upon his lips as he imagined Frank Hardy suffering the way he had. He let out a maniacal laugh when he imagined Frank Hardy just begging for death. Yet he had to wait. He had to wait for the perfect time. Fortunately, it was coming right around the corner.

He slowly left the warehouse and walked up to his car. He put the gear in drive and drove towards Bayport, towards the hospital, and towards his revenge.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hi guys, sorry for this late update. I will try to update as much as possible and not keep you guys waiting for too long. Anyways, here is the next chapter and I hope you like it. Please review, review, and review.**

At the hospital…

Andrew exited his car and quietly made his way to the hospital entrance. He was pleased to see that no one was in the lobby. He quietly made his way up to the ICU. Before turning into the hallway, he noticed male nurse with his back to Andrew. He quickly snuck behind him and hit him with a tranquilizer dart. He dragged the unconscious nurse into the men's restroom and emerged a few minutes later, wearing the nurse's clothes. He quickly made his way down to Frank Hardy's room and saw that no one was in there. He quickly snuck in and injected Formula X into Frank's IV. He heard footsteps approaching and a look of panic came on his face. He quickly looked around and hid in the bathroom just as the door opened. He saw the pretty strawberry blonde girl, Frank's wife, he assumed, come in and she sat down next to him. An evil smile came upon Andrew's lips.

"Perfect. Now his wife can see Frank one more time before he is all mine."

Nancy sat next to Frank for a few minutes while Andrew stared at her through the crack in the door.

Then, all chaos erupted.

Frank convulsed violently on the bed and Nancy began to panic. She yelled for the doctors to come. Frank's brother Joe and Joe's wife, Vanessa ran in after the doctors. The doctors tried to stabilize him and tried to get him to stop seizing.

Suddenly, Frank's heart monitor flatlined and he collapsed motionless on the bed.

The doctors quickly pushed Nancy, Joe and Vanessa, who were all in shock aside, and jumped into action.

A nurse began CPR on Frank while the other doctors tried reviving Frank.

Nancy was trembling like a leaf in the wind in Joe's arms, terribly frightened for love's safety. Joe was staring at Frank's pale and unconscious face in shock while Vanessa stood there, her hands over her mouth with her eyes watering.

"He's crashing! Get the cart in here!" a doctor yelled.

The Hardy family watched in disbelief as the doctor placed the defibrillator paddles on Frank's chest.

"Clear!" the doctor yelled, as Frank's chest jerked up with electricity. Nancy cried out in horror and anguish as Joe silently wrapped his arms tightly around her.

The doctor shocked Frank again, a third time, and a fourth time. Finally one doctor found Frank's pulse.

"I've got his pulse!"

This got the hospital staff moving again. They got Frank's pulse back to normal and managed to get him breathing again. Finally, after several tense seconds, the doctors looked towards the three Hardys and nodded, letting them know that Frank was going to be ok.

Nancy nearly collapsed with relief and Joe let out a relieved laugh.

"Will he wake up soon?" Nancy asked.

"Yes, he should wake up in the next 24 hours." The doctor said, happy that this happy family would continue to remain whole.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Vanessa said, tears of relief falling out of her eyes.

Andrew smiled wickedly in his hiding spot.

"Finally, Frank Hardy will be mine." He whispered to himself.

He watched as the doctors and nurses slowly trickled out.

A nurse went up the Hardys and told them that they needed to leave.

"Please, we promise we won't get in the way. Can we stay?" Nancy asked, not wanting to leave Frank's side for even a minute.

"I'm sorry ma'am. But we need to make sure that Frank is doing all right and we can't do that with all these people in here. It will be only for a couple of minutes and then you can come right back in." a nurse said.

Nancy, Joe, and Vanessa reluctantly left the room and slowly, the doctors and nurses began to leave as well. Seeing the opportunity, Andrew quickly left his hiding spot and walked out of Frank's room. He made his way back down the hall and out the hospital doors. When he sat down in his car, he let out a maniacal laugh.

"24 hours Frank Hardy. Then you will be mine."

At the Hardy house…

Fenton and Laura were awfully quiet for quite a while. Fenton had informed Chief Collig of the shooting and the police were currently investigating it.

Suddenly, Fenton's cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Joe calling.

"Hello?"

"Hey Dad, its me."

"Yes Joe, is there any news on Frank? How is he? Is he alright?"

Joe patiently explained everything that had happened and waited for his dad to process everything.

"Will he wake up? Will he be ok?"

"Yeah. The doctors said that he should wake up in the next 24 hours. He's gonna be ok dad." Joe said, his voice filled with relief.

"Thank goodness! Ok Joe, you keep me updated on everything that happens there ok?"

"Yeah I will dad. By the way, how is Chloe?"

"She is doing fine. She is asleep right now."

"Good, she's had a long day. Anyways, Dad I will call back soon ok?"

"Ok. Take care son." Fenton hung up.

Laura stood next to Fenton, her eyes wide with fear and question.

"What happened Fenton? Is Frank alright?"

"Yeah Laura, the doctors said that he should wake up in the next 24 hours. They almost lost him for a minute but he is alright."

Laura had tears of joy streaming down her face, happy that her baby was going to be alright. The two hugged and cried together, overjoyed that their family would be able to stay together.

Suddenly they heard crying coming from their bedroom.

"Chloe!" Laura cried, bolting towards the room, Fenton fast on her heels.

When they entered the room, they saw the three year old on the ground, crying.

"Chloe, sweetie what happened? Are you okay sweetie?" Laura asked, frantically searching her for any injuries.

"I h-had a b-bad d-dream and t-then I f-fell off." Chloe said, crying.

"What happened in your dream sweetie?" Fenton asked gently.

"Well, there were those bad men again but this time, they hurt daddy again and then daddy fell asleep and he didn't wake up. I tried to wake him up a lot but he kept on sleeping. Why wouldn't he wake up?" Chloe cried, tears still streaming down her face.

"Sweetie, look at me. Uncle Joe just called us and said that daddy is going to wake up really soon ok?" Laura said, trying to calm the little girl down.

"Really? Daddy is gonna wake up?" Chloe asked, a big grin creeping up on her face, her large eyes wide with excitement.

"Yes he is little one. Now how about some hot chocolate and cookies?" Fenton said, a small smile on his face.

Chloe nodded in agreement.

"Grandma, I made an oopsy and sat on Rainbow when I fell off the bed." Chloe said sheepishly.

Laura and Fenton looked at each other before bursting out laughing.

"That's ok sweetie. Look, Rainbow is perfectly find." Laura said, holding up the unicorn for Chloe.

The three of them made their way back to the kitchen and Fenton sat Chloe down on the countertop. Chloe crossed her legs together and sat Rainbow down in her lap. Laura pulled out some M&M cookies, Chloe's favorite and poured out some hot chocolate in Chloe's Olaf mug.

Everything was turning out right for the Hardy family. Frank would soon be all right and then, they could celebrate the holidays together, like they always did.

But little did they know, their happiness would not last very long. Soon, a dark shadow would loom over them, and the sun may never shine on them again.

 **AN: There you go guys. I hope you liked this chapter. Once again, I hope the medical information is accurate. I'm sorry if it is not 100% true. Just so you know, what happened to Frank was the "scare" that was mention in a previous chapter. That was what would happen before Formula X came into effect. Hope you liked it and please REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

The night has passed without incident. After Frank had coded, Nancy, Joe and Vanessa stayed near him for the remainder of the night. The following morning, Fenton, Laura and Chloe had arrived at the hospital. When they caught sight of the other three, Laura rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Nancy, holding her tight.

"Has he shown any signs waking up yet?" Laura asked.

"No, not yet. But it has been only 10 hours." Nancy said, hope filling her voice.

"Well, Fenton and I will stay here and keep an eye on Frank. The three of you need to go home and shower. You smell disgusting." Laura stated teasingly, wrinkling her nose in a funny way.

The group laughed at Laura's attempt to provide some comic relief.

Chloe went over and tugged on Nancy's hand.

"Mommy, did daddy wake up yet?"

Nancy crouched down and smiled.

"Not yet baby, but the nice doctor said that he would wake up soon."

"Yay! Then me and daddy can go and get Rainbow some new clothes."

Chloe then whispered loudly, "It's not nice for a girl to not wear clothes. Aunt Nessa said so."

The adults turned their heads towards Vanessa who was blushing furiously.

"When did you tell her that Van?" Joe asked, amusement filling his voice.

"A few weeks ago when Nan, Chloe and I went shopping. We stopped in Victoria's Secret for their big sale and Chloe kept staring at the mannequins. Now that I think about it, it might not have been the best idea to take a three-year old into that store." Vanessa said, now thoroughly embarrassed. The Hardy family laughed out loud at Vanessa's discomfort.

Fenton then spoke up. "You three should go home, clean up, and get something to eat."

Nancy looked ready to protest but Laura wouldn't let her speak.

"Nancy, honey you have been here all night; all three of you have been. Frank will be fine for a couple of hours. If he wakes up, we will call you immediately. You all are exhausted and need to get some rest." Laura said firmly, adamant that the three young Hardys get some rest.

Nancy finally nodded, knowing that there was no winning against Laura Hardy in a situation life this.

Nancy, Joe, and Vanessa made their way out of the hospital and towards Joe's car. They drove to the Hardy home in somber silence. The Hardy family had decided to spend the holidays together under one roof. Frank, Nancy, and Chloe had their own house about 5 minutes away from Fenton and Laura's while Joe and Vanessa had an apartment to themselves about ten minutes away in the opposite direction.

As Joe opened the front door, the trio walked in and as they entered the comfortable home, they realized how exhausted they all really were.

"I don't know about you two, but I am going to take a nice hot shower" Nancy said, already dragging her feet up the stairs.

Joe and Vanessa looked at each other, shrugged at each other, and followed Nancy up the stairs.

At the hospital…

Fenton and Chloe were sitting in the waiting room at the hospital. Laura had gone ahead to see Frank and the two were waiting for her to return.

Fenton was watching Chloe as she played with her unicorn while eating a cookie that Laura had baked for her that morning. Watching the child's adorable antics brought a smile to Fenton's face. Their bond was indescribable. Fenton just loved watching the little toddler. She reminded him a lot of Frank to be honest. Fenton remembered a time when Frank was about Chloe's age, maybe a bit older. He tried climbing a tree. Somehow, he had managed to get about half way up the tree before Fenton came out of the house in search of him. When he saw Frank in that tree, Fenton's heart nearly stopped. He carefully called Frank and told him to sit on the branch that was next to him. Frank did so and when he looked down, he looked so happy. Even though he was almost 6 feet up in the air, which, mind you, is very high for a young toddler, he looked so proud of his accomplishment. Frank had a huge grin on his face while Fenton was extremely terrified. He told Frank to hang on and that he was coming up to get him. The next thing he knew, Frank was hanging from the tree upside down by his ankle and was screaming in terror. Fenton rushed forward and positioned himself right underneath Frank. Not a moment too soon, Frank fell. He landed right into Fenton's awaiting arms, knocking the wind out of him. He then stood up, brushed off his clothes, and asked if they could get ice cream. Fenton was astonished at how one minute Frank was screaming his head off while dangling from a tree, and the next minute, he was asking for ice cream, acting as though nothing had happened.

Chloe reminds him so much of Frank. She can be terrified at one moment and be perfectly happy the next. This made Fenton happy. Even though Chloe had seen a lot at her young age, she still was an innocent and happy child inside.

Chloe turned her head towards Fenton and looked at him with big eyes.

"Grandpa, can I get another Snicker?" Chloe asked cutely.

Fenton smiled at her cuteness, but he knew that he couldn't fulfill her request, knowing that Laura and Nancy would not be happy that he was spoiling his granddaughter rotten.

"Sorry, sweetie but Grandma and mommy will be mad at me if I give you another candy bar."

"Please? Pretty please with sprinkles on top?" Chloe asked, her puppy eyes coming out.

Fenton sighed, knowing that he couldn't win against Chloe's big puppy eyes.

"Alright, but don't tell Grandma or mommy ok?"

Chloe nodded eagerly, a huge grin coming on her face.

The two got up and headed towards the cafeteria hand in hand.

Unknown Location…

Andrew exited his car and walked towards the door to the warehouse. He opened the door and went inside.

Mike and Ben stood up from where they were playing cards and looked at him.

Andrew turned around and an evil grin made its way onto his face.

"I gave Frank Hardy a dose of Formula X. Now, the clock is just ticking. Soon he will be awake and I will get my vengeance."

Mike and Ben also smiled dangerously. At least now, they could get a real punching bag. Their boxing bags were all destroyed.

At the hospital…

Nancy, Joe, and Vanessa returned to the hospital soon after Chloe had eaten her Snickers bar.

Nancy looked down at Chloe and noticed some chocolate on the side of her mouth.

"Chloe, were you eating chocolate again?"

Chloe looked up at Fenton and then back at Nancy before shaking her head no.

Nancy rolled her eyes and smiled. She knew that Fenton could never say no to his little grandbaby.

"How's Frank?" Joe asked.

"He's still the same. Your mother is with him at the moment." Fenton said.

Nancy and Joe made their way to Frank's room and met up with Laura.

They opened the door and saw Laura holding Frank's hand, softly talking to him, and trying to hold back tears.

Nancy made her way to Frank's bedside and put her hand on Laura's shoulder. It broke Nancy's heart to see Laura in such a vulnerable condition. The two women quietly wrapped their arms around each other and provided silent comfort.

After a while, Joe and Laura left, leaving Nancy alone with Frank.

Nancy kept looking at the charming face she fell in love with, praying to all things good and evil that she would be able to look at this face for many years to come.

Suddenly, Nancy felt Frank's hand tighten in her hand.

"Frank?" Nancy asked tentatively.

"Can you open your eyes for me? It's me, Nancy. Please Frank?"

Nancy kept talking to Frank, encouraging him to open his eyes.

Slowly but surely, Frank's eyes began to open.


End file.
